Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route

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Milltimber Bridge in the centre of this picture, where the road will cross the river Dee

Aberdeen Greenbelt Alliance protest poster

The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) is a major infrastructure development taking place on the outskirts of Aberdeen, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The construction has not yet begun but preparations are at the final stages with the last public consultations taking place in early 2007.

It has been particularly supported by NESTRANS the Scottish Executive's planning group for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

The high-speed dual carriageway is projected to cost over £350million and create an alternative route from north to south Aberdeen, bypassing the city. Currently the only dual carriageway route from north to south is through the city itself, along the original 1930s bypass, Anderson Drive. Since that was built, the city has expanded beyond the road considerably.

1 Congestion relief
2 Local economy
3 Controversy
4 External links

[edit] Congestion relief

The proposed development has been designed to have a positive impact on traffic along routes which are congested during rush hour, particularly Aberden's Anderson Drive, King Street and Union Street.

Other benefits will be reduction in traffic congestion on the bridges into central Aberdeen which is sandwiched between the River Dee and the River Don, by reducing heavy goods vehicles that do not need to enter the city itself. There will also be a reduction in the volume of traffic heading towards Aberdeen Airport and the adjacent industrial estate at Dyce.

[edit] Local economy

It is argued that the road is important to keep the economy active.^{[citation needed]} At rush hour it can take two hours to cross the city.

[edit] Controversy

The neutrality of this article is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

The bypass has caused controversy among local people who live along the proposed route. Some of the areas affected are amongst the most expensive in the city and its surrounding area. It will particularly effect the people in Milltimber, Bieldside and Cults.^{[citation needed]}

Arguments against the project include:

Property blighting; where any properties which are in sight of the road may lose much of their value, particularly those in the quietest of areas that will lose their peace. There houses which lose value but whose owners will not receive compensation after project completion.
Large number of properties affected; 5 homes are within 50 meters of the road, 26 between 50 and 100 meters, 78 between 100 and 150 meters and a further 82 between 150 and 200 meters. These will either be demolished or affected by the developments close proximity.
Cost spiral; being a government project, of significant scale, residents are concerned that cost overruns could reach sums of money which the area will not be able to pay off for up to thirty years, leading to council tax rises and cut backs on other expenditures.